Published 4:00 am, Saturday, June 23, 2007

The Sharks were active on the first day of the NHL draft in Columbus, Ohio, trading two players off the roster and selecting a pair of teenagers for the future.

Backup goalie Vesa Toskala and embattled forward Mark Bell were sent to Toronto for three draft picks, which general manager Doug Wilson then used in separate deals to move up and select scoring center Logan Couture (ninth overall) and grab a second first-round pick to tab physical defenseman Nick Petrecki at No. 28.

In addition, the team announced the signing of Craig Rivet, a veteran defenseman acquired at the trade deadline from Montreal, to a four-year deal worth $14 million.

The draft continues today with rounds 2-7, but, barring any more deals, the Sharks' first of seven choices does not come until the third round.

Originally without a pick until the middle of the second round, Wilson passed two of three picks acquired from Toronto (Nos. 13 and 44) and added a third-rounder in 2008 on to St. Louis to move into Friday night's top 10 to take Couture from the Ottawa 67s of the Ontario Hockey League.

Injury and illness cut into the 6-foot-1, 188-pounder's season. Couture still managed to score 26 goals and 78 points in 54 games, and is expected to return for another season on the same team that produced Wilson years ago.

"I'm excited to get my career started with San Jose," said Couture, a native of Guelph, Ont.

San Jose then traded second-round picks this and next season to Washington in exchange for the third-to-last pick of the night and took Petrecki from Omaha of the United States Hockey League. Petrecki is 6-foot-3 and weighs 213 pounds.

"I'm very, very excited to be part of a great program like this, and I can't wait to get started," said Petrecki, who is committed to attend Boston College in the fall.

A native of Schenectady, N.Y., Petrecki led his team's defensemen with 23 points on 11 goals and 12 assists. The real asset to his game is physical play.

Wilson said shortly after San Jose's second straight second-round playoff loss that he'd trade a goalie, and he followed through on that promise.

Toskala, effective for the last two seasons but injured for the last third of the recently-completed campaign, goes to the Maple Leafs, having posted a 65-28-10 record with a 2.34 goals-against average and .914 save percentage in 115 games with San Jose.

The addition of Bell to the deal isn't a surprise. Acquired from Chicago last offseason in hopes of blending with Joe Thornton on the Sharks' top line, Bell battled off-ice distractions stemming from an arrest before training camp to on-ice struggles because of an injury and ineffectiveness.

Toronto flipped three picks to San Jose, two of which were re-dealt for the first-round selections leaving only a fourth round pick in 2009 in the Sharks' possession.